So, our duck yard is basically a big soap opera right now. *chuckle* We have mostly Muscovies (1 drake and 4 females), four Anconas (2 drakes and 2 females), and one female Buff Orpington.
Our two Ancona drakes started getting their Springtime Frisk on before the snow had finished falling. Did they enjoy the company of their two female Anconas? No. They went after two of the Muscovy girls. *sigh* After a month or so, we had to separate the two gents, because they were mating the two girls to raggety pieces, poor things. (It went beyond balding the backs of their necks. At one point, our beautiful lavender girl looked like she had a bad face lift, because the skin behind her eye had been pulled back.)
So now the girls are healing, getting refeathered, destressed (versus distressed), and looking a little more 'normal.' And our Muscovy drake has started to 'man-up' with the Muscovy girls.
We've had two girls a'laying: one Muscovy (though not sure who) and recently one of the Anconas started earning her keep as well. The Ancona is still laying, but whichever Muscovy was laying has stopped... and in the nest where the Muscovy was laying, our Buff Orpington has gone broody! (Told you it was a soap opera!) We finally decided to leave one egg under her and let Nature take its course. We have no idea if the egg is good or not, but it's a riot watching the silly duck...
She comes out twice a day to grab a couple bill fulls of food, rinse it down with a swig of water, and make that giant deposit from the other end. She has that "I'm a mama" waddle, with her head low, and she actually lowers her head and charges others like a bull, all the while quacking very loudly at them. *giggle* Our first time with mama ducks was last year, and they were Muscovies, so we didn't have all the noise this girl's making. It only lasts a few minutes, but it's quite entertaining.
So, this is Seelie... our Buff Orpington... sitting on a Muscovy egg... To my knowledge, she's never laid an egg of her own in her life, which also adds to the humor I'm finding in this. This isn't exactly the way we wanted the first hatching to go! *laughing* Hopefully our other girls start laying soon!
Our two Ancona drakes started getting their Springtime Frisk on before the snow had finished falling. Did they enjoy the company of their two female Anconas? No. They went after two of the Muscovy girls. *sigh* After a month or so, we had to separate the two gents, because they were mating the two girls to raggety pieces, poor things. (It went beyond balding the backs of their necks. At one point, our beautiful lavender girl looked like she had a bad face lift, because the skin behind her eye had been pulled back.)
So now the girls are healing, getting refeathered, destressed (versus distressed), and looking a little more 'normal.' And our Muscovy drake has started to 'man-up' with the Muscovy girls.
We've had two girls a'laying: one Muscovy (though not sure who) and recently one of the Anconas started earning her keep as well. The Ancona is still laying, but whichever Muscovy was laying has stopped... and in the nest where the Muscovy was laying, our Buff Orpington has gone broody! (Told you it was a soap opera!) We finally decided to leave one egg under her and let Nature take its course. We have no idea if the egg is good or not, but it's a riot watching the silly duck...
She comes out twice a day to grab a couple bill fulls of food, rinse it down with a swig of water, and make that giant deposit from the other end. She has that "I'm a mama" waddle, with her head low, and she actually lowers her head and charges others like a bull, all the while quacking very loudly at them. *giggle* Our first time with mama ducks was last year, and they were Muscovies, so we didn't have all the noise this girl's making. It only lasts a few minutes, but it's quite entertaining.
So, this is Seelie... our Buff Orpington... sitting on a Muscovy egg... To my knowledge, she's never laid an egg of her own in her life, which also adds to the humor I'm finding in this. This isn't exactly the way we wanted the first hatching to go! *laughing* Hopefully our other girls start laying soon!
